Features of Saxifragopsis that make it discordant within the relatively large and diverse genus Saxifraga include the thick, woody rhizome; early separation of the leaf blade from its joint with the petiole; unicellular, glandular trichomes; and beaklike form of the styles having no counterparts in Saxifraga, although that is where the single species of Saxifragopsis is most often placed (P. A. Munz 1968).